The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly having a coupling nut for use in coupling and decoupling of the electrical connectors. More specifically, the invention relates to a means to prevent premature decoupling of connectors by loosening of the coupling nut due to vibrational or other forces that would tend to loosen the coupling nut from its connection to the shells.
The electrical connector assembly described herein is an improvement over the mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,990, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the contents of said patent being incorporated by reference herein. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,990 an electrical connector assembly is disclosed which includes a leaf spring that is mounted on the coupling nut and coacting ratchet teeth carried on a shoulder on the outside of the connector. Use of such springs and coacting ratchet teeth, however, require that the coacting parts have close tolerances to provide efficient and sure contact therebetween. Wearing of the teeth or the spring element also can be troublesome following repeated coupling and uncoupling of the connectors. Generally, a plurality of the leaf springs are provided which results in additional cost in fabrication of the leaf springs and fixation of the leaf springs about the coupling nut.
The present device provides an efficient anti-coupling device that has fewer parts and is easily manufactured using a minimum of manufacturing steps.